2015 Corvette Z06: First Look

In the latest episode of The Downshift, our cohorts at Motor Trend take a first look at the 2015 Corvette Z06 with several interviews with Corvette movers and shakers who have been responsible for its creation.

With its new 625hp 6.2 liter supercharged engine (which shares nothing with the previous LS9) and aero package developed from their racing program, the Z06 will trump the famed ZR1's lap times. This is the fastest Corvette ever produced. But was there any question it wouldn’t be?

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Engineers were intent on taking the inherent goodness of the base Stingray and amping it up another level or two. The goal became to take the C6 ZR1 and bring its performance down to the C7 Z06 to set a new performance bar for the Corvette. The Z06 just may be the first production supercharged vehicle to have cylinder deactivation. Add direct injection, variable valve timing, and a new tranny that mimics a DCT while keeping mass low and not only do you have a Corvette that’s on the leading edge of production sports cars, but also you have a world-class sports car that keeps the EPA at bay.

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Plenty of wind tunnel time was used to develop such items as the grille pattern, hood outlets, and different downforce packages. In fact, with the Stingray’s already fine low-drag numbers, engineers were able to give the Z06 more presence and more high-tech downforce pacakages that will be offered in three stages, helping make the Z06 even more distinct from the base Vette. Combine that with the wider stance and the mission of getting road-holding grip and low lap times is achieved.